The 2024 Cerritos College volleyball team turned in accomplishments that had not been seen in the program in 30 years. Not only did the Falcons qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 1994, they won a share of the South Coast Conference for the first time in 27 years and registered their first postseason win in 19 years. Along those lines, the team also had their first All-American since 1997.

What made all of those accomplishments possible? It was the right combination of talented returning freshmen, a strong group of incoming freshmen and several key transfers. In what turned out to be the best transfer in school history, sophomore Sydney May went on to be named 2nd Team All-American, as well as the South Coast Conference South Division Player of the Year. She decided to transfer to the Falcons after playing her freshman year at UC Santa Cruz, where she led them in assists and services aces. May made the decision to follow in what has been the family footsteps, as she has signed with Cal Poly Pomona, which is coached by former Falcon two-time All-American Traci Dahl, who led the Falcons to their lone state championship in 1992.

Her father Russ is the men's basketball head coach at Cerritos after playing for the Falcons (1989-91), and then transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, while her older sister Madison played her freshman year for the Broncos. She also served as an assistant coach on the volleyball team in 2018.

"Pomona was one of the very few schools that checked all my boxes regarding major (Aerospace Engineering), location, and athletics," stated May, who is currently attending classes at Pomona. "Even before coming into contact with Coach Dahl, I was able to watch a few games this past season, and I immediately noticed the competitiveness, talent, and culture of CPP, and I felt that I would thrive under that environment. I could also see the amount of respect everyone has for Coach Traci, which is a huge factor, as well. Coming into the Spring, I think my competitiveness, aggressiveness, and ability to run an effective offense will definitely be my biggest impact for the program."

May (pictured, left) used her versatile skillset as a setter and opposite hitter to give the Falcons something they never had. Not only did she lead the team in kills with 277, she enabled the team to maintain a taller lineup during their rotations over the course of a set and was a dual threat as their setter. May recorded 331 assists and shared that responsibility with sophomore Leeya Rubio, who led the Falcons with 488 assists. She was also second on the team with 43 blocks and was effective in the back row with 146 digs.

"Having Sydney being part of our program was so much fun," stated head coach Kari Hemmerling. "Having known Syd since she was nine years old, I was constantly getting updates on all of her volleyball career since she started playing and it was always so fun to catch up on. I never thought I would have an opportunity to coach a player of her caliber, but one thing led to another and it was the best thing that happened to our already very talented team. There were some growing pains, but it made us such a strong team and I truly believe that at the end of the year, we were the toughest team left in the competition, and Syd was a huge part of that."

During the postseason, May responded with double-digit kills in all three matches, and capped off her Falcon career by tying her season-high of 20 kills against Fresno City College. Cerritos entered the 3C2A State Tournament as the #4-seed from Southern California and were tasked with taking on the state's #1-ranked Rams from the North. Just one set away from the upset, Cerritos came up short in a five-set match, which also saw the team serve for match point twice. On the year, May recorded double-digit kills 18 times and matched that total in double-digit assists.

May had multiple options on where to transfer after making the decision to leave UC Santa Cruz.

"There were a lot of reasons contributing to my transfer, but the main one was it simply was not a good fit for me regarding the team culture and environment," said May referring to her time at Santa Cruz. "While I did enjoy parts of my experience at UCSC, I didn't want my last few years of volleyball to be as turbulent as my freshman year. Regarding Cerritos, I could have gone to a different four-year school or a different community college, but I really trusted Coach Kari and I had a gut feeling that Cerritos was what I needed. My experience with my teammates, coaching staff, administrators, and trainers was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I really appreciate how my teammates accepted me into their circle and I will always think of every one of them with the highest regards. While we didn't end with a win, I think this team will be a huge piece in re-establishing a culture of success for Cerritos volleyball."

Having a familiar face on the Cerritos campus every day was also a bonus.

"It was definitely nice to have a familiar face around campus when I was getting accustomed to Cerritos," said May referring to her dad. "I also liked seeing how much people respect my dad around campus, and the work he puts into the school. Overall, it was great to have him around all the time."

May is now back on the four-year university path and will be joining a Cal Poly Pomona team that has seen a huge uptick in their success over the last few years. In 2024, they finished as arguably the best team in program history, owning a 25-4 overall record while breaking numerous school records and reaching as far as any previous team in the current playoff format. Winners of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season championship for the first time in school history, the team also posted the most wins during the 25-point scoring format and recorded the second longest winning streak in program history at 18. At one point during the year, they were ranked #3 in the nation and were seeded #1 for the conference tournament for the first time. In the last four seasons under Dahl, the Broncos have recorded a 94-24 record and qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament each year.

"Having Syd transfer to one of the top DII schools is so awesome," added Hemmerling. "I always tell my team, volleyball is part of it… but getting you to transfer out of here is what's most important. Finishing the degree you start here is the goal, and for Syd, Pomona was a great fit academically and athletically. So hopefully by the time she's done playing, volleyball she will also have the Astrophysics/Aerospace degree she's working towards."